When my neighbor Matt brought me a giant basket of cherry tomatoes from his garden last week, I had to find a way to use them up. Inspired by Ina Garten’s wonderful Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad, in which she roasts halved plum tomatoes in a vinaigrette mixture to concentrate their flavor, I decided to slow-roast them. Doused in a mixture of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, and seasoning – and cooked in a low-temperature oven for 2 hours – cherry tomatoes take on an intense, almost sun-dried tomato flavor while retaining their juicy texture; they taste like tomato candy! What’s more, they burst when you cut into them, thus creating a flavorful sauce for whatever you serve them with.
Roasted cherry tomatoes can be enjoyed in a variety of ways, such as:
- As a side dish with grilled fish or meat
- With burrata cheese
- As a pizza topping
- Over pasta or risotto
- As a bruschetta or cracker topping with burrata, ricotta, or goat cheese
- As an omelette filling
- As a crepe filling
- Over avocado toast
- Puréed and strained to make roasted tomato soup (good hot or cold)
What You’ll Need To Make Slow-Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
- 2 lbs (3 pints) cherry tomatoes
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
Step-by-Step Instructions
Preheat the oven to 275°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a baking sheet with wide heavy-duty aluminum foil.
Put the tomatoes on the lined baking sheet and add the tomatoes with the olive oil, vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, and garlic.
Using a rubber spatula, toss the tomatoes with the remaining ingredients.
Roast for 2 hours, until the tomatoes are soft and beginning to burst.
Serve hot or at room temperature. The tomatoes will keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
How To Freeze Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
Roasted tomatoes can also be frozen for up to 3 months. It’s a good idea to divide them into individual portions to thaw as needed to add to pizza, pasta, omelets, crepes, etc.
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